The Agony of Victory
by SpearmintMirage
Summary: The Crystal Gems discover that all it takes is a fleeting moment to turn victory bittersweet.


Earth was beautiful.

A world like this was a sight to behold. Such naturally occurring wonders - from delicate flowers to thriving wildlife - were as abundant as the air. Even its disastrous storms were admirable in their own right. A planet this full of life came once in a million galaxies.

At this moment, a spectrum of colors blended across the sky as the sun rose from the sharp mountainous horizon. Swaying blades of grass glittered with dew and the crisp morning air sparkled, adorned with unusual twinkling lights that decorated both the air and ground like daytime stars. Breathtaking from every angle, if it were somehow faithfully replicated into a painting then it would surely draw attention from across the world.

But every work of art has a meaning. And the truth behind this one was anything but pretty.

A single healing tear fell from Rose Quartz's eye, almost as if to mock her. She would have to cry oceans in order to the fix the damage that had been done here.

No one had expected the flash in the sky. Rose's triumphant smile had fallen the instant that she realized what was coming. She frantically summoned her shield and shouted the order to get behind her, but it was too late for most of them. Everything - the blinding light, the immense pressure, the deafening sound - it all felt like a dream somehow.

It was just like the Diamonds to have the last laugh. They were such bitter sad beings, only able to heal themselves through vengeance.

The only things she felt now were the dirt at her feet and Pearl. The poor thing clung to her in shock, still conditioned to the expectations Homeworld had forced onto her from birth. As much as she tried to move past it, as much as _anyone_ tried to convince her otherwise, she was still a servant at heart who required orders to function. She had no direction from her queen so she didn't move, except to mouth a name every so often when her eyes strayed across a familiar crystalline shard glinting on the ground.

To the right, her stalwart comrade stood absolutely still. Unlike Pearl, Garnet herself needed little guidance. However the two Gems that controlled her were the opposite, maybe worse than Pearl in their dependence. Rose couldn't even imagine the conversation between them that kept them glued into this mortified unblinking form. Maybe they forced themselves together for comfort, or maybe to stop Ruby from screaming loud enough for the whole planet to hear. Perhaps they were even frozen with shame.

They had probably seen it coming. Sapphire's Future Vision was powerful after all. They had seen it as a possibility but ignored it until it was too late.

 _They shouldn't blame themselves_ , Rose would later think to herself. _I wouldn't have wanted to believe it either._

Now however she only faintly regarded their conditions as her own mind was enveloped by polarizing emotions. No one speechless sentiment could overtake the others, so she stayed trapped in the middle of them all. The lone tear had appeared only in recognition of what they had lost, a sign of mourning fueled by every emotion at once. Her companions did not move out of crippling dependence on each other and their leader, but as usual Rose was different. Rose remained still because for the first time in her extended existence, she couldn't even lead herself.

As the last of her friends stared blankly at the ground, Rose gazed off into the distance, absorbing the scene and the slowly passing seconds with the hope that she would eventually be overcome by it all and feel something more than just faint pangs of shock and grief. In her wild naive imaginations, she had envisioned Homeworld's retreat as a massive celebration, cheers resounding across the scarred plains. Finally they could all be at peace and enjoy the world they had sworn to protect.

Instead, Rose watched a new day break in numb silence, the sun shining brilliantly onto the land below and the shattered remains of her army shimmering in the light from above.

Strangely, her first thought was that Pink Diamond would have liked sunrises.


End file.
